Springlike warmth to make brief appearance across midwestern, northeastern US

Warmer air will track across the nation this weekend and reach the midwestern and northeastern United States by Sunday.

Sunday's highs will run up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit above average across portions of the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic states to close out February. Highs will be more typical of April than the end of February.

"High pressure over the southeastern United States will allow for warm air to surge into much of the Midwest and Northeast this weekend, peaking on Sunday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Duffey said.

Enough warm air will make an appearance for some locations to challenge record highs, including Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Columbus, Ohio. This warmth will fail to reach portions of the Great Lakes and northern New England as highs will remain in the 30s and 40s.

The warm and dry conditions will be favorable for any outdoor activities on Sunday. Given the amount of sunshine and the cold from the winter, it will feel even warmer than the actual temperature.

Sunday will be the best day to open the windows in your house to allow some fresh springlike air in and mix out the stale air from the winter.

A sharp cold front will bring a shot of cooler air across the East to begin next week, dropping Monday's highs 10 to 20 degrees from Sunday's highs.

"While Sunday will be the peak of the warmth, highs will still run above normal early next week," Duffey said.

Showers may also make an appearance as the cold front passes through during Sunday night into Monday morning. By midweek, a developing storm may bring the threat for rain and severe thunderstorms.